Synopsis:

Blow after blow, she hides her face and fights for her life.Doctor Ruth Burnette has everything she has ever dreamed possible: the perfect job, a twin sister who is her best friend, and a fiancé who is retiring from professional boxing as the middleweight champion of the world.Then came that fateful night when she witnessed a mafia execution. When her sister is murdered she knows she'll battle to the last round and never, ever throw in the towel. Now she's down for the count, in witness protection, anxious, alone except for the faithful company of her German Shepherd at her side.As the time draws near to when she has to leave her safe little corner she stays on her toes. She has to testify against one of the darkest criminals in New York, she shores up the courage to face the accused from the witness stand. Unexpectedly, he's not the one who worries her. She wonders what coming face-to-face with his son, VICTOR KOVALEV…her former fiancé …will bring.Will Ruth have a fighting chance against the Kovalev family, or will Victor keep her pinned ON THE ROPES?

I wish I remembered where I found this book, because I feel like I need to send a thank you to someone for recommending it

The story was gripping and fast-paced, with several flash-backs to help establish the details and set the stage for the rest of the story. The details about the Mafia execution that Ruth witnessed and her subsequent journey into witness protection were provided little by little, but in just the right manner to create a suspenseful story that flowed well.

Though some heavy topics, like prostitution, were brought up, and some of the prostitutes played minor roles in the stories, there were no details that were inappropriate, nor were their roles in the story related to their profession.

There was violence in the story, which was necessary, but there was not a lot of violence, nor was it described in detail.

There was a Christian element to the story. It was mostly mention of a character’s salvation and of God’s protection, and there was prayer. Doctrinal issues were not overt in this book.